Bubble-blower.



0. v. BOYS.

BUBBLE BLOWER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1912.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

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BUBBLE BLOWER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1912 1,986,991. Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

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COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH COHWASHINOTON, D. c.

CHARLES VERNON BOYS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

BUBBLE-BLOWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. re, 1914..

' Application filed August 24, 1912. Serial No. 716,909.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES VERNON Boys, F. R. S., a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at 66 Victoria street, London, S. England, metropolitan gas referee, have invented a certain new and useful Bubble-Blower, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements 1n methods of and means for blowing bubbles.

Hitherto when producing bubbles, for example of soap, difficulty has been experienced particularly in blowing and detaching large bubbles.

My invention has for its object to provide improved methods and apparatus whereby bubbles and especially those of large diameter, may be produced with reasonable certainty and facility for demonstration or amusement purposes.

With this object the present invention consists in the methods of and means for blowing bubbles hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:.

Figure 1 shows a bubble-blower according to one form of the invention with the parts of the device disposed so as to show their true form, and with a bubble (partly broken away) in position; Fig. 2 is a section on the line AB of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows an end view of the bubble-blower with a delivery end of circular cross section; Fig. i is a similar view of a modification in which the delivery end is of oval form; Figs. 5 and 6 show developed views of difierent forms of the bubble-delivery edge, while Fig. 7

shows a series of successive positions of the blower looking on the right of Fig. 1 but drawn to a smaller scale.

In carrying the invention into efiect according to a preferred form of apparatus, a bubble-deliverer, a, is rotatably mounted in relation to an injector mouthpiece, b. The bubble-deliverer a, starting from the inlet end, at first converges as at c and then gradually diverges up to the delivery end which may be either ofcircular cross section (see Fig. 3). or oval (see Fig. 4) the actual delivery edge on which the bubble forms is.

preferably constructed in a special manner as hereinafter described. As seen-in Fig. 1, this part of the apparatus is formed with a right-angled bend, at, the object of the gradual divergence of the deliverer being to slow down the air to insure a gentle delivery of a large volume into the interior of the bubble and at the same time to raise the air slightly in pressure.

While both forms of deliverer shown in Figs. 3 and 4 Work efficiently, the latter or oval form can be packed in a flatter box and can be more'readily stamped in two halves from sheet metal; moreover, in use I find the oval form can be readily manipulated so as to cause the bubble to detach itself first at one end of the oval and then peel off progressively to the other end so that a minimum disturbance is produced.

As regards the injector mouthpiece, 6, this consists of a tube bent at right angles at e, the one end, f, being adapted to be placed in the mouth and the other end being reduced in diameter to form a nozzle and provided wit-h a cylindrical portion, h, adapted to rotate in a split spring bearing, 2', (see Fig. '2) carried by a bracket, is, attached to the bubble-deliverer, a. The nozzle end of the mouthpiece, Z), is arranged co-axially.

with the inlet of the deliverer, a, and at a short distance outside the same as shown.

By the means described the air issuing from the nozzle-end of the mouthpiece sets up an injector-like action by virtue of which the air from the lungs is augmented by an induced flow of air into the inlet of the deliverer some fifteen or more times its own volume.

It will be evident that in somecases it might be convenient to force air through the mouthpiece from a bellows or the like instead of from the lungs, and I desire the word mouthpiece to be construed broadly in the sense indicated.

As regards the bubbledelivery part proper, this may consist of a strip, a, of an absorbent and flexible material such asv a textile fabric (6. g. calico or linen) wrapped around the large end of the deliverer, a, andsecured in place by a rubber ring, 0

so that it is readily detachable and can be renewed when desired. The edge of this strip to which the bubble adheres during its formation is either formed with a few cusplike projections, 7 (see Fig. 5) which may also be closely serrated (as indicatedin relation to two of the cusps) or with a large number of teeth or serrations, s, closely spaced (see Fig. 6). At the-moment of detachment of the bubble these cusp-like proa short time (a few seconds) by a candle flame, t, for example, held at the inlet of the deliverer as shown in Fig. 1. In the place of warm air from the candle flame a little coal gas or hydrogen may be allowed to escape into the cone, 0, so as to lighten the bubble and in that case its buoyancy is more permanent. In either case the uniform feeding of the growing bubble with solution is promoted by keeping the bubble in a state of agitation by constant movement of the bubble deliverer, except for convenience during the comparatively short time when the warm gases from the candle flame are entering.

The preferred form of apparatus described above may be employed in the following manner: With the axis of the deliverer held vertically, the absorbent bubble-delivery portion is dipped in a suitable soap solution; it is then removed and air is blown from the lungs through the niouthpiece, 7), the parts being in the relative position. indicated by the numerals 1 in Fig. 7. As stated above the injector-like action of the apparatus induces a much larger volume of air to flow through the deliverer, a, into the bubble which is fed from a large number of ditlerent points by the soap solution absorbed and stored in the textile tabric provided. As the bubble grows, the flexible teeth, cusps or serrations provided on the delivery edge bend outward to accommodate themselves to the increasing diameter of the bubble, which absorbs ad ditional material from the numerous separate feeding centers formed by the small streams trickling over its surface as indicated diagrammatically by the lines, a, in Fig. l; at the same time it' the hubble is being lightened by warm air or gas the tapered deliverer, a, is slowly rotated in relation to the mouth-piece, 5, through the successive positions, 2 and 3, until it assumes the vertical position shown at 4 in Fig. 5, the bubble meanwhile continuously growing in size. It is easy with a little practice to hold the candle in one hand and rotate the bubble-deliverer with the other, the growth or" the bubble and the candle-flame being under convenient observation throughout until finally by a gentle downward ant... sidelong movement of the apparatus, after stopping the air blast, the bubbleis detached. It the developed defire or the injected air may be warmed for livery edge of this flexible material be straight instead of serrated, while the advantage of flexibility is secured at the moment of detaching the bubble, the liquid runs from the edge at its lowest point in a single stream around the side of the bubble to its lowest point where it falls away and little is retained, but by the use of numerous serrations the supply of liquid as described above is distributed along numerous minor streams and more is available for the growth of the bubble.

Although my improved bubble-blower can be constructed to any suitable scale, I have found a device having the following main dimensions to be generally convenient. The conical deliverer, a, may be fourteen inches long, three inches diameter at the wide end and one inch at the narrow end. The mouthpiece, Z), may be seven inches long, three-eighths of an inch diameter with a nozzle or jet orifice of one-twelfth of an inch diameter. Finally the distance between the axes of the mouthpiece and bubble-deliverer when so turned as to be parallel to one another may be about seven inches. I find also that the following solution gives good resultsz one part of oleate of soda dissolved in forty times its weight of soft water with a third to a half of its volume of pure glycerin added.

By means of the apparatus described I have succeeded in blowing and detaching bubbles exceeding thirty inches in diameter.

It will be evident that the invention specifically described above may be embodied in other structural forms without departing from the principles explained.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A. bubble blower having in combination a mouthpiece of angled form, a bubble deliverer of angled form, together with means for mounting one of the angled limbs of said mouthpiece rotatabl in relation to one of the angled limbs of said bubble deliverer, said angled limbs being co-aXially spaced apart to form an injector-like device,

substantially as described.

2. A bubble blower having in combination a mouthpiece of angled form, a bubble deliverer of angled form, together with means for mounting one of the angled limbs of said mouthpiece co-axially and rotatably in relation to one of the angled limbs of said bubble deliverer, substantially as described.

3. A. bubble blower having in combination a mouthpiece of angled form, having a nozzle orifice at one end, a bubble deliverer of angled form having a convergent entry portion at one end, means for mounting the limb of said mouthpiece having the nozzle orifice co-axially and rotatably in relation to the limb of said bubble deliverer having the convergent entry portion so as to form an injector-like device, substantially as described.

4. A bubble blower having in combination -a mouthpiece of angled form, a bubble deliverer of angled form, means for connecting one of the angled limbs of said mouthpiece and bubble deliverer co-axially with one another and for permitting the other limbs of said mouthpiece and bubble deliverer to be rotated in parallel planes, substantially as described.

5. A bubble blower having a delivery portion of flexible absorbent material, substantially as described.

6. A bubble blower having a delivery portion of a textile fabric, substantially as described.

7 A bubble blower having a delivery portion of textile fabric serrated at the oper ative edges thereof, substantially as de scribed.

8. A bubble blower having a delivery portion of textile fabric cusped at the operative edges thereof, substantially as described.

9. A bubble blower'having a delivery portion of textile fabric ousped and serrated at the operative edges thereof, substantially as described.

10. A bubble blower having a delivery portion and a plurality of independently flexible bubble-delivery portions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES VERNON BOYS.

Witnesses:

lVM. JOHN ArKINsoN BUTTERFIELD, ARTHUR WILLIAM LANGLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. C. 

